These days, many young professionals and families are choosing to rent for a little longer in order to be able to live in the home or suburb they like, without the commitment of a mortgage. Coincidentally, suburbs that offer that ‘laidback lifestyle’ tend to offer lower rental prices too.
With remote working looking like it’s here to stay, at least part of the time in most businesses, moving that little bit further out of town really is a viable option now.
Now, it’s time to find your perfect place to rent for the lifestyle you want.
How we define lifestyle rentals.
Lifestyle Rentals are homes in suburbs that:
- Offer a ‘laidback’ lifestyle
- Have a real feeling of community
- Are an hour or less from the nearest major CBD.
Homely’s Top Lifestyle Rental Suburbs Across Australia
VIC: Mount Macedon 3441 and Gisborne 3437
Mount Macedon is well known as one of Melbourne’s favourite ‘country getaways’ – so why not make every day a relaxing country retreat? At the foot of the landmark Macedon Ranges, Mount Macedon town is a hub of outdoor adventuring, wine regions and charming historic buildings. As much a hiking and biking lover’s dream as it is for the vino-lover. Offering a little more real estate is the close-by area of Gisborne – equally charming and providing the same lifestyle perks, Gisborne is one of our favourite spots!
Homely listings current rental range: $400 – $1000 per week
This suburb is highly rated for:
- Parks and recreation
- Safe and sound
- Peace and quiet
- Internet access
- Neighbourly spirit
Here’s what the locals on Homely have to say about Mount Macedon 3441:
“Why live anywhere else?”
Moving from interstate we spent months looking for the perfect place to settle. We must have researched every suburb within travelling distance to Melbourne. We stumbled across Mount Macedon and found it to be the place to lay our roots. Next move from here will be the nursing home.
NSW: Glenbrook 2773, Jamisontown 2750 and Castlereagh 2749
Nestled in the Lower Blue Mountains, Glenbrook is known as the gateway to Blue Mountains National Park. Revered for its persevering tight-knit community feel and historic precedence, Glenbrook is both the adventurer’s delight and the perfect place to call home for the community-passionate. Glenbrook is just a 50min drive by car to Sydney. Just a few minutes from Glenbrook and both a part of Penrith City are Jamisontown and Castlereagh, offering similar history and charm, but with larger developed areas and more property on offer.
Homely listings current rental range: $200 – $1000 per week
Homely listings current median rental price: $420 per week
This suburb is highly rated for:
- Clean and green
- Eating out
- Gym and fitness
- Neighbourly spirit
- Parks and recreation
Here’s what the locals on Homely have to say about Glenbrook 2773:
“A lovely part of the world”
I moved to Glenbrook nearly 30 years ago having grown up on the Northern Beaches and lived in the Lower North Shore, the Inner City and Strathfield areas and Glenbrook is definitely the best address on earth. It is a quiet, friendly and safe neighbourhood where children (and adults) still play cricket on the street and have neighbourhood celebrations (and not just at Xmas). Glenbrook has all the facilities a family could need including a 50m Pool, Bowling Club, the Glenbrook Theatre and the entrance to the Blue Mountains National Park World Heritage area, not to mention the best shoe shop in NSW (The Foot of the Mountains). Truly, Glenbrook is blessed.
Bongaree, QLD 4705
Bongaree is a suburb of Bribie Island in Moreton Bay Region. With gentle waters and stunning views, Bongaree Beach is a hit with locals and Brisbane day-trippers alike. Bongaree offers the ultimate laid-back beach lifestyle with plenty of great walks, water activities and places to eat out. Bongaree is just over an hour’s drive from Brisbane CBD.
Homely listings current rental range: $300 – $700 per week
Homely listings current median rental price: $490 per week
This suburb is highly rated for:
- Parks and recreation
- Safe and sound
- Clean and green
- Parking
- Pest-free
Here’s what the locals on Homely have to say about Bongaree 4705:
“Beautiful township, growing lifestyle”
Bongaree is really growing to have all the things you need. Cafe’s, restaurants, beautiful seaside parks and pathways. There is the stunning waters of the Passage and Bay, clear and deep for a swim. Lets see, you have a nice supermarket/shopping centre not far away and there’s the nature reserve at Buckleys Hole, beautiful for birdwatching.
I have lived here on and off in between other places and I’m impressed with the growth. Only downfall of course is the increased traffic on weekends and the bridge, but otherwise, once you are on the island, why leave?
Aldgate, SA 5154
A charming, historic village in the Adelaide Hills, Aldgate has an attractive air of ‘getting away from it all’. Full of historic sites and nature walks, Aldgate is quiet yet bustling with small-town life. A quick 27min drive to Adelaide CBD, Aldgate is as close as you can get to the city while still having that ‘getaway feeling’.
Homely listings current rental range: $350 – $600 per week
Homely listings current median rental price: $500 per week
This suburb is highly rated for:
- Safe and sound
- Internet access
- Clean and green
- Neighbourly spirit
- Peace and quiet
Here’s what the locals on Homely have to say about Aldgate 5154:
“A perfect suburb”
20 minute drive to the city, but a world away. Leafy, temperate, beautiful throughout the year. Popular with young families with great schools in abundance. Good selection of cafes, restaurants, pubs across Stirling, Crafers, Aldgate and Bridgewater. Nice houses throughout the suburb all with excellent plot sizes. Community feel where you will get to know people in the locale.
The Vines, WA 6069
Developed as a country club estate in 1987, The Vines was uniquely developed around the suburb’s two golf clubs. Homes in The Vines feature larger-than-usual blocks of land, and have the pleasant company of native wildlife and plenty of peace and quiet. Just a 36min drive from Perth CBD, The Vines offers a relaxing country escape to come home to without blowing out the daily commute.
Homely listings current rental range: $400 – $900 per week
Homely listings current median rental price: $420 per week
This suburb is highly rated for:
- Clean and green
- Internet access
- Neighbourly spirit
- Parks and recreation
- Peace and quiet
Here’s what the locals on Homely have to say about The Vines 6069:
“Semi-Rural pocket surrounded by Suburbia”
The Vines is a unique suburb in that it is built around the 2 golf courses – the Ellenbrook Course and the Lakes Course – of The Vines Resort and Country Club and despite being surrounded on the western side by the housing development suburbs of Aveley and Ellenbrook retains a semi-rural vibe throughout the majority of the suburb. It is not uncommon to see Kangaroos and Emus in the paddocks on the left hand side as you drive up Chateau Place from Millhouse Road towards the gatehouse.
Majority of the homes in The Vines are older – built in the early 1990’s through to the early 2000’s and are on larger than average block sizes – acre blocks, 1/2 acre blocks.
Public transport links to The Vines are poor. There are special service Transperth buses that do the school pick up and drop offs, but for a regular bus service it is a decent walk into Ellenbrook (Annies Landing) or Aveley. So a car is a must have to live out here.
If you are looking for somewhere that you can come home and not feel like you are in the suburbs, but still be relatively connected to conveniences, The Vines is a lovely place to live.
Bicheno, TAS 7215
Primarily a fishing port and beach town popular with holidaymakers, Bicheno is becoming a suburb known as a welcoming, warm community perfect for younger families. On Tasmania’s East Coast, the climate is a little milder than other parts of Tasmania and is positioned nearly equal distances from major centres of both Launceston and Hobart. Nestled between Douglas-Apsley and Freycinet National Parks, Bicheno is surrounded by breathtaking landscapes – a perfect fit for our nature and wildlife-lovers.
Homely listings current rental range: $300 – $1500 per week
Homely listings current median rental price: $440 per week
This suburb is highly rated for:
- Parking
- Parks and recreation
- Childcare
- Clean and green
- Cost of living
Here’s what the locals on Homely have to say about Bicheno 7215:
“A community that has made us so welcome!”
We moved to Bicheno from Qld recently with our family of 5. Our 2 young children are incredibly happy and have made lots of friends through school and the community. Our older son enjoys the trip to the high school on the bus. We have sufficient work and have built lasting relationships. Bicheno is ideal for young children and families but does leave teenagers needing more entertainment options.
